The Fool's Card
by Ren Kayashima
Summary: The truly phenomenal thing about change is the journey we take to get from who we were to who we are. With the Rossi household slowly working to find it's niche in the world, Dave and his daughter Rori may have to take a couple more adventures before anything is finalized. Part 5 of the Tarot Series [WARNING: Discussions and topic of sexual assault starting in chapter 8 on]
1. Chapter 1

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

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Chapter One:

December 14, 2011

Rori sat on the breakfast nook table, swinging her legs back and forth as she held a newspaper in one hands and a coffee cup in the other. She wore her red and black plaid robe over her matching pajama bottoms and a grey t-shirt. The teen took a quick sip from her cup and let out a soft moan of delight, scanning the paper's newest edition, looking for any worthy pieces of information.

_The Georgetown Press_ wasn't exactly _The Washington Post_, but it certainly was informative. The newest edition was always released on a Wednesday. Members of the paper got their copies Tuesday night after they came back from printing. It featured local news stories, college information, helpful advertisements, and articles from local crime to advice. Rori's own section of the paper had gained an outside following when she started covering some of the BAU's cases, and even some of the crimes plaguing the D.C. area. The paper had subscribers from all over the District, which meant the school wasn't likely to shut down their journalism program any time soon.

"Rori, how many times have I told you not to sit on the table," Dave asked, dragging his slippered feet into the kitchen. It was much too cold to be walking around in the house with bare feet. The downside to wood floors, he guessed. He moved over to the fresh coffee on the counter and pulled a cup from one of the cupboards. "It's not meant to carry that sort of weight."

"That's great," Kyle said dramatically as he entered the kitchen in heavy jeans and a George Washington University hoodie. His thick brown hair had started to take on a shaggy appearance after months without a decent cut, and Dave took a shot in the dark when he guessed that Kyle didn't think to use a comb after rolling out of bed. Yup, it was time for finals. "Give my little sister body issues." Kyle finished.

"Yeah, Dad, give me body issues. I'm a sensitive teenager with a fragile sense of worth connected to how I look," Rori said dully. She smiled as she slipped off the table top gracefully, only to lose her balance on the tiled floors. She skidded around in her socks for a moment while she waved her hands around. After a second, she was able to walk over to the large sink, bringing her now empty coffee cup along for the ride. She raised herself up on her tip toes to kiss her father on the cheek as he poured his coffee.

"My deepest apologies for committing such a grievous sin," Dave said sardonically. He chuckled slightly and looked at Kyle. "So another round of finals are today?" he asked, directing the question to both of the college students in his kitchen.

"I should be leaving for mine right now," Kyle said, grabbing a banana for nourishment from the fruit bowl on the island. He picked up his neon yellow backpack from the nook and slipped it on. Making his way back to the sink, he stopped to give Rori a kiss on the forehead. "Good luck with your finals," he said. "I'll be picking up Kono from Dulles this afternoon." He said referring to a family friend of Rossi's that was coming in from California for the holidays.

"And you'll be meeting the twins, Alice, and I at Amici's for dinner. I know," Rori nodded. The twins she spoke up were her boyfriend, Kenta Kayashima and his brother Kaoru, and they were Kono's younger brothers. She looked over at her dad as he moved to the now empty breakfast nook with a bowl of cereal and his coffee. "I'm going to head out soon too. I have to get dressed and hopefully squeeze in a cram session before my finite math final starts at eleven."

"What about your Journalism final?" Dave asked recalling that both math and Journalism were classes held on Monday and Wednesday. He looked up to find Rori already making her way out of the kitchen and back to her room upstairs.

"It's in the paper," Rori's voice echoed through the large house, and Dave winced slightly.

Kyle waved to Dave before adjusting the straps of his backpack. "See ya' later." He turned on his heel to leave the kitchen, humming a song by Puccini. "By the way, thanks for letting me borrow the Sonata."

"I don't really trust your motorcycle in this weather, so it's the least I could do to keep you alive!" Dave yelled back, knowing that Kyle was already at the door. He grabbed Rori's newspaper and started thumbing through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

_Police Capture Murderer After Unexpected Breakthrough by Rori Morre-Rossi_

_After six months of searching for evidence in the murder of 22 year old, Tracy Beckham, police were able to make an arrest that has many people letting out a sigh of relief. _

_Tracy Beckham was a graduate assistant at George Washington University (GWU) when she was killed. A small town girl from Kentucky, Tracy was pursuing her Master's degree in Engineering. She was one of four female students awarded the prestigious 'Martha Lincoln Scholarship', a full ride scholarship that was created to help boost the number of women in the fields of science and engineering. The loss of such a promising individual has left the students and faculty at GWU feeling melancholy. _

_On June 26, 2011, Beckham was reported missing by her roommate, Alexis Price. Her body was discovered at the National Mall three days later near the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Beckham had been shot, and at the time, had been believe to have been killed during a mugging gone wrong. Her purse, backpack, and phone were not present at the scene and couldn't be found at her home or school. Witness statements yielded little results, and police were convinced that Tracy's murder would become another cold case. _

_However, things changed when Tracy's backpack appeared in one of the local homeless villages two weeks ago, and it was reveal that Tracy had had it stolen from her while getting a cup of coffee at a local café. In Tracy's backpack was just the evidence police were looking for._

_While a simple piece of paper doesn't seem like much, Beckham's advisor, Benjamin Paine, Ph. D., confirmed that none of the numbers and notations matched up with current projects for her Master's thesis. Torn from her notebook, the equations were a part of an ongoing investigation on the part of Beckham, who was looking into some blueprints and reports put forth by a notable engineering firm. Beckham discovered that some new building in the Metropolitan area had fallen victim to some shady business dealings. _

_Longshore Engineering, whose stellar reputation for some of the greatest urban engineering feats have been featured in magazines like **Architectural Digest**, had been taking a huge cash prize while skimping on materials that didn't meet current safety standards. Beckham's equations were meant to determine how these buildings would react to natural disasters and even general wear and tear after years of use. The results were dire, and could have meant the loss of lives if this had gone unnoticed._

_Detective Riordan, lead on the case, determined after further review that Beckham had had a meeting with Longshore's CEO, Henry Wiggins. During their meeting Beckham brought up the fact that several building in current constructions were not going to pass a safety inspection and that changes had to be made quickly before construction went any further. Wiggins assured Beckham that he would take care of everything and look into the issue personally. _

_Wiggins later called Beckham to the Mall, requesting her research to show to his team of engineers. This was a part of his plot to kill the only person who knew about the buildings being weak. Not knowing that Beckham's backpack with the equations had been stolen earlier that day, Wiggins shot Beckham when she wouldn't hand over her research._

_Wiggins was arrested by police late December 19, and awaits trial for premeditated murder. Tracy Beckham's parents, Mary and Joseph, thanked Metro Police in a press conference the next day for their tireless efforts in arresting their daughter's murderer. Beckham will be forever remembered by the public, and especially by her peers at GWU. _

Dave set the paper down with a smile. It was news like this that further drove Dave in his pursuit of justice. His job was by no means an easy one, but he couldn't stand the idea of murderers and rapists running about the public. He always liked to see that an evildoer got their comeuppance at the end of a case like this. Tracy Beckham was young and had a life to live, and it was a shame to see it snuffed out all because someone wanted to line their pockets.

He finished off his cereal and moved to get ready for the day. He wouldn't have to go into the BAU today after working for six straight days, but that didn't mean he had the day all to himself. Rori had given him an important task on their holiday to-do list. While cooking was his forte in the kitchen, grocery shopping for Rori's baking extravaganza that would begin promptly after finals this week was important nonetheless. She didn't have to go to the last two days of finals the following week and the family was going to spend the days leading up to Christmas making sure everything was in place for a visit by the rest of the Rossi family and even a party for friends. The house had to be fully decorated (The inside that is, the outside had been the Black Friday Project). There was work to be done, and Rori and Kyle were focused on school at the moment.

"I had thought that having two college kids around would lighten the load, not increase it," Dave grumbled moving towards the stairs so he could get dressed and ready to brave the blistering cold. He checked the thermostat to make sure it was warm enough, and with a sigh, he turned it up a little bit.

As Dave passed by Rori's bedroom, he paused for a moment to look inside. Her two dogs, now full grown, were asleep on the queen sized mattress. Zenzen, shortened to Zen only a few weeks after the dog's christening, was an orange Shiba Inu and had been a gift from Rori's military Uncle in London. ChouChou, again shortened to just Chou, was a white Akita, another gift, this time from the Kayashimas.

Rori's room had the sort of chaotic mess that only seemed to pop up when the semester was about to end. Textbooks were discarded on the floor for Rori to slip on when she woke up in the middle of the night, clothes had been thrown all over the study space as she tried to find something comfortable, but not so much so that she fell asleep in the middle of an exam, and of course, the small silver trash can had become home to several candy bar wrappers and broken pencils and pens. Dave made a mental note to ask Rori to pick it up after tomorrow's English History exam.

So much had changed, and Dave felt like the change had been right from the moment Rori moved in. He had pondered his life many times now since Rori's arrival, and he had always come to the same conclusion. Rori had given him something he had thought never could have existed. She gave him a family. A chance to have something that for a long time seemed unattainable for Dave. He never used to decorate his house for Christmas, finding it a hassle to do on his own, and frankly, he felt it hadn't been worth it. Now he was gearing up for a second Christmas with Rori, and now Dave got to add in his "quasi-son", as Rori called him, Kyle to mix. To think that only a few short years ago, he couldn't even put a tree up because of the memories it brought with the Galyean family. Now, it was an adventure just to pick out the right one.

Dave stepped out of Rori's room quietly with a small smile on his lips. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Rossi household, and he had to make sure he was ready.

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Author's Note: So almost a month later and I present to you the first chapter in a brand new Rori and Dave and Kyle adventure. Its Christmas time in the Rossi household which could mean any number of things I'm sure. Thank you to all who have followed these stories, and I hope you'll stick around for this one.

Leave me a review if you get the chance.

Ren


	2. Chapter 2

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

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Chapter Two:

December 20, 2011

"Garcia, what are we doing at Rossi's place?" Reid asked. He tilted his head up as he took in the tall front porch. He had always found the mansion to be quite intimidating. He knew from experience that the yard was colossal, the kitchen was top-notch, and the furniture was high quality. Not a penny had been pinched in the homes planning.

"I'm setting up Rori's new desktop," Garcia answered simply. She skipped ringing the doorbell and quickly inserted her own key into the door. Spencer knew that Rossi had given Garcia the key when she started checking in on Rori while the team was away. Garcia gave a low chuckle and pushed the door open. "You, however, will be donning an apron to help Rori with the cookies."

"What?" Spencer choked out. He had never once considered himself a baker, chef, or culinary master of any kind. Did he really have to help Rossi's daughter with her Herculean baking efforts?

Garcia pulled her evergreen peacoat off and opened the coat closet by the front door to hang it up. She winked at Reid before clacking away in her pumps. Spencer watched her climb the stairs easily towards Rori's bedroom. He wasn't sure how long it would take to set up a desktop computer, but he guess that Rori had some special requests in mind when she asked for Garcia's help. He pictured intense firewall programming and top of the notch add-ons.

Spencer moved slowly towards the back of the house where he knew he could find the kitchen, and therefore, Rori. The smell of cinnamon and mint mingled in the air, putting the genius in a more relaxed frame of mind.

Rori was pulling a tray of cookies off the island as Reid walked in. With a large grin, she moved over to the double ovens. She pulled the door of the bottom oven open and quickly positioned the tray so that it was in the middle. "Thanks for offering to help," she spoke, turning to face Spencer.

Spencer knew that his jaw must have dropped slightly by the guilty look on Rori's face. He shook his head quickly. "It's not a problem. I just don't really bake too much." Perhaps Garcia has offered up his services with a clever little turn of words, and Rori thought that he actually wanted to help.

"You won't be doing any baking or mixing," Rori smiled, relieved. She moved to the sink to wash her hands. "I need you do some minor stuff, like shaping cookies, and moving them to cooling racks. If I can focus on mixing the doughs, then I'll have these done in no time and ready for Christmas." Rori shook her hands to get the excess water off before grabbing a paper towel

"I could do that," Spencer nodded confidently. He started rolling up the sleeves of his knit sweater as he moved over to the sink. "Are you making those peppermint cookies again?"

Rori nodded pulling a metal bowl from its spot under the stand mixer. She brought the bowl to a steaming waffle maker. "They're chilling in the fridge for the next hour," she explained. She pointed to her mixing bowl. "These are my French waffle cookies. Super simple, and super delicious, but I'll be the one to operate the waffle maker. I don't need you to burn yourself. You may never help me again if you do."

Spencer nodded, deciding that this was probably a wise choice on Rori's part. He could tell the iron was hot, and given his lack of baking experience, burns were likely. "What went in the oven?"

"Snickerdoodles," Rori answered. She pulled a drawer open and pulled out a cookie dough scoop. She held it out for Spencer. "You'll need this for uniform cookie size, the one I was using started to get stuck in the handle, so I threw it out. I guess it's a good thing I always have extra, right?"

Spencer took the scoop and examined it. It liked a miniature ice cream scoop with the curved piece of metal meant to separate the ice cream from the metal when you squeezed the handle. He couldn't help by marvel at the sheer simplicity of it all. He knew that uniform was an important part of baking, and to do it all by hand sometimes involved a lot of guess work. This seemed to solve the problem. He found a stack of baking trays stacked up on the breakfast bar in front of him and he grabbed one and placed it in front of him. In between Rori and Spencer was a large bowl of cookie dough and a smaller bowl of a cinnamon sugar blend.

"Scoop, roll, cover, tray," Rori explained, pointing to each step and even pantomiming the proper way to roll the dough into a crude ball. "I suggest getting 12 scoops ready to roll into ball. Then when you roll the balls in cinnamon-sugar mix, it'll go by faster. Easy peasy."

Spencer nodded with a smile. This was something he could do. It wasn't something he could mess up. The dough had already been made, he couldn't mess a recipe up at this point, even if he tried. He grabbed the cookie scoop and started preparing twelve little cookie dough balls on a tray. "So, why do you need a new desktop?" he asked rolling his eyes up towards the second floor. He had images of Garcia giggling in jubilation among Rori's computers.

"My old desktop went kaput with a fried motherboard," Rori answered with a grimace. "I had to get a new netbook as well when my Acer was hit with a Trojan that would give even the Greeks a run for their money. I got all Apple products. Dad trusts them more, and I'm not about to argue when he buys me stuff. I asked Pen to come over and set my new computers up in the home network, and there's a backup drive I'm having her prepare in my room. I can't really afford to lose anything I put on my computer. It's all my writing, all my school stuff, financial information, that sort of thing. I knew Pen could get it done faster, and set my computers up with super strong firewalls."

Spencer moved the finished tray up onto the bar before grabbing another tray to fill with cookies. He started scooping once more. He was quickly settling into a rhythm that made the work seem easy and not as difficult as he imagined it would be. "Were you able to save your projects on the old desktop?"

Rori nodded. "I always send copies to friends and family depending on the work being done, so I just had to look through my email for them. All my music is on a cloud drive with Apple, so it was saved. Dad keeps copies of my essays on his computers because I have him do a quick edit."

Spencer stuck his tongue out slightly as he worked on moving a little faster. Rori pulled out a secondcookie scoop and started loading dough into the circular waffle iron. She pulled the top of the iron down and moved to the over to check on the timer. She came back and nodded in approval at Spencer's work before moving to the Tupperware at the breakfast nook. She picked up a sharpie and started writing on the lids to identify what container held what and where it was going. After all the baking, only about a third of the cookies would stay at the house. Another third would be taken to a homeless shelter Christmas morning for desert later that evening. The final third would be packed up in decorative tins and boxes and given out as goodie boxes to friends and family.

"This is the last day for baking actually," Rori said. She smiled at Spencer as she started moving some of the Tupperware. "Kyle has been helping me but he was called away by Kono. I think the two of them are trying to have a long distance thing. Not sure though, he dodges my questions and Dad wasn't able to find out much either."

Spencer squirmed slight. Relationships were not his thing. He was, at best, slight inept when it came to dating. "How does Kenta feel about that?"

Rori shrugged and walked back over to check on her cookies. She started to pluck the cookies out of their mold with the tip of a fork, expertly managing to have them land on an empty paper towel. "He can't really complain. He doesn't want to run the risked of changing our relationship, and it's my brother. To show disapproval would be like saying my brother wasn't good enough for his sister." Rori answered. She started scooping more dough onto the waffle iron. She decided to change the subject. "You have a trip coming up, right?" she asked.

"Yes," Reid smiled with a nod. "I'm going to Vegas for a week after New Year's. I'm looking forward to it."

Rori grinned, taking Reid's two full trays of cookies to the top oven. She pulled the door down and slid the tray in. She walked back after setting the timer. "So you'll still be here for the Christmas Party. Good." She didn't mention Spencer's mother, knowing that he wouldn't talk about her unless he had specifically mentioned her, so Rori continued down a different path.

"Garcia would hunt me down if I didn't," Spencer answered as he started on a new tray of snickerdoodles. He had to wonder just how many there were.

Rori pulled the new set of four waffle cookies up and quickly adjusted them so that she had neat rows and columns. "I'm sure you could duck out early if you wanted to," she said keeping her focus on the cookies. "The house is going to be pretty full. I know the guest list is at thirty-two people, and I'm sure more will end up coming. Dad hired some catering company to set up pasta stations in the dining room for people to get "real food." I guess he just doesn't want us pigging out on junk."

"You sure like to have big parties," Reid muttered, thinking about past events at Casa Rossi.

"The Rossi Family is twelve strong," Rori replied. "Not counting the three who live here."

Reid paused and thought about what he knew when it came to the Rossi family. "Does that include the cousin you don't like?" he asked, making a mental not to avoid any room where to two were together.

"Luke and I are actually okay," Rori answered, remembering the day she almost threw a tennis ball at her Aunt Amy's youngest child. Then her father had to step in. After that, the cousin had agreed to take baby steps towards civility. "Just don't be surprised if Kenta and Kaoru are a little rude to Luke." She paused looking up in thought. "Maybe I should warn Kyle…" she whispered.

"Does the Rossi family know about Kyle?"

Rori waved the question off. "Oh, Dad emailed them a while ago," Rori answered with a laugh.

Something gave a loud thud upstairs and Rori looked up with worry. "Maybe I should check on Pen…"

Spencer only shook his head as Rori left the kitchen. From the sounds of it, the Rossi household was about to have the party of the century with some minor, but possibly disastrous, interactions. Spencer took a deep breath. Maybe he needed to invest in more Kevlar.

Rori came skidding into the kitchen as the oven timer went off for the first batch of cookies she had put in. Not wanting to waste a second, she rushed over and pulled the fresh baked cookies out. "Umm… We may need your help upstairs," Rori said, dropping the pan on some lined up cooling racks. She looked at the timer on the top oven and made a note to come back down in seven minutes.

"What happened?" Spencer asked slowly. He was starting to wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into.

"My um… closet shelves… well… they fell as Pen was putting my desktop on one," Rori didn't look at Spencer as she explained this minor SNAFU.

"The new one?" Spencer asked his eyes widening as he imagined the look on Dave's face if he found out. Macs were not a cheap computer.

Rori shook her head quickly. "No. The old one. The new one is still in its box. Pen was looking for a place to put my back up drive, and had to move the old desktop," she answered. "The point is I need help moving things before anything else breaks in my room. I do like my room..." She turned and ran out of the kitchen making a beeline for the stairs.

"I wonder how she's going to explain the broken shelves to Rossi…" Spencer muttered, following Rori slowly.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: So no Dave this chapter, but I thought this was a nice little scene. It seems like I'm writing Spencer in everything right now. I don't actually mind. Rori and Spencer had a cool relationship in Death and I haven't really written it like that for a while. I do hope you all enjoyed it. I'm so looking forward to writing Mama Rossi and Co. It's always fun to write.

**Quick Note: The nomination process for the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are going on until the fifteenth of October. This is an awards show to honor your favorite Criminal Minds fanfics and the authors who write them. You can find the nomination ballot on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum here on the site. Check it out! Show your favorite stories some love by nominating them for one of the 50 awards available.**

Please don't forget to leave me a review to let me know what you think.

Ren


	3. Chapter 3

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Three:

December 23, 2011

Dave sat in his family room with his newspaper spread out on the coffee table in front of him. Soft piano music drifted in from the living room where Rori had been practicing since she woke up and scarfed down one of Nona's large helpings of pancakes and sausage. Rori always claimed that was the biggest perk when her grandmother was around. Mama Rossi always managed to cook/bake/make some of the best food Rori had ever had the pleasure or eating.

Mama and Papa Rossi had taken Joseph into D.C. to a mall where they were picking up some extra Christmas gifts for the family. For the moment, the Rossi "mansion" was quiet and there was an easy peace.

"The calm before the storm," Kyle spoke from behind the couch.

Rossi turned to glance over his shoulder and gave a shrug. "I suppose it is," he said. He scanned his family room, wondering about the chaos that would quickly engulf his home. If it was anything like last year, it would take a day to clean the house. "I hope you know that you'll be helping Rori clean up after this soiree."

Kyle chuckled, moving to look at the Christmas tree. He had been able to add some ornaments to the tree from his family's collection. According to Rori, Dave didn't have a tree or ornaments for years. It had to do with a case from twenty some odd years ago, and it made Kyle think about how things had to have been different before Rori's arrival. It was nice to see Rori's influence right from the start. He couldn't imagine a house that didn't celebrate the holidays.

"Your adoptive mom-"

"My mom," Kyle interrupted slightly. This was the first time he had ever talked about his adoptive parents with Dave. Rori knew all about them and the two always seemed to know what 'Mom' was being talked about. It was some sort of psychic sibling thing they two shared.

"Right," Dave said with a nod. "Your mother, was she big on holidays?"

Kyle nodded with a smile. "She went all out," he said. He could only imagine what Sarah Bishop would do with David Rossi's home. "Something new every year. It was great. I loved helping her out."

"If you have any input for Rori, she'll listen," Dave said. He took a deep breath as Rori's two dogs came scrambling in from the kitchen. Chou had a large milk bone in her mouth and Zen was trying to steal it. "I'm going to Hotch's," Dave stated, standing up. "Rori will start getting everything together in an hour, so peace will be hard to find. I'll just go and watch _Young Justice_ with Jack."

Kyle shook his head and moved towards the kitchen. He was in dire need of food. "Don't you have caterers coming tonight or something?"

Dave nodded. "Pasta bar for guests who want real food," he explained. The years before was a trial run during New Years, and Rori had lost most of her taste buds after spending the day in the kitchen cooking chickens, prime rib, and a large dish of macaroni and cheese. The result had been delicious, but Rori refused to do it again. This also happened to work for Dave seeing as his kitchen always seemed to take the longest to clean.

Kyle gave one last laugh before he disappeared from Dave's sight. Dave rubbed a hand over his beard as he moved to the family room. He stood by the entryway watching Rori as she played the piano. He had heard the song before, but he was having some difficulty placing it. It reminded him of the old piano ballads that seemed to fill radio station queue across the nation twenty or thirty years ago. It was slow with striking crescendos and sudden decrescendos.

Almost as if she knew her father was watching her, Rori played the last couple notes to end the song. She turned and gave him a wide smile. "Hey, Dad," she greeted.

Dave walked over to sit on the piano bench with his daughter. "That's a new one," he spoke. "Is it one of yours?"

Rori shook her head. "Nope. It's the piano composition for a new song I heard on the radio. It's by David Nail and it's called _The Sound of a Million Dreams_. I'm kind of in love with it," Rori started playing the song over. After a few bars she sung softly. "Seager was singing words I could believe in…" she paused and blew out one of her soft happy sighs. The kind that came about from doing something that made her happy.

Dave kissed Rori on the temple. "You amaze me sometimes," he said. "I'm going to be at Hotch's while you decorate. Call Kyle if you have any heavy lifting to be done."

"Going to watch _Young Justice _with Jack_?"_ Rori asked with a smirk. She laughed at some inner thought. "You do realize that Kyle and I record the cartoon for our own viewing pleasure, right?"

"Jack tends to get more enthusiastic without getting loud," Dave grunted. He wouldn't dare admit that he found it more appropriate for him to watch a cartoon if a little kid was present. Rori and Kyle also seemed to know vast amounts of comic book lore and they took some of the fun out of it. Rori gushed over Wally West and Kyle grunted incoherently about Artemis Crock. As far as Dave was concerned, _Young Justice _was mindless entertainment.

Rori blew out a sign, standing up. She scooted sideways to free herself from the hold of the bench and piano. "Have fun with Jack," she grinned. "I'm going to get the decorations from the garage."

Dave stood up and patted his back pocket to make sure he had his wallet. "And that's my cue to leave."

"Toodles," Rori cheered making her way to the back of the house.

0o0o0o0

Come six o'clock the house had quickly been filled with guests. Women seemed to flock to the kitchen or the living room to talk in small groups where there was a promise of fine wine and easy company. Dave, Hotch, Papa Rossi, had created a game of poker with Dave's brothers-in-law in the back office. The many college students and younger adults seemed to stay in the family room where there were video games that had been set up for entertainment.

Michael Martin, the oldest of Amy, Dave's youngest sister, and Daniel Martin was working hard on beating Kaoru's girlfriend Alice in a game of Scrabble with Kyle's former roommates Davis and Jared. Kenta was helping Agent Anderson set up a commemorative video for his girlfriend. The rest of the college students were engrossed in an ongoing tournament on the Wii.

The living room had become a buffet of sorts. Long tables had been set up with red and green cloth coverings, and as per usual, Rori managed to divide the tables up by appetizer, main course, and dessert, creating an organized and elegant place to celebrate. Small circular tables had been set up for everyone to come in and sit down to a nice meal. Christmas music played in every corner, allowing a joyful atmosphere.

"Rori, kick his butt!" little Jack Hotchner yelled pumping his fists in the air as Rori swung a Wii remote around in precise movements.

The TV screen showed a kendo match between to cartoon people. Rori's cousin, Luke, stood by her, brandishing his own remote as if he were actually a samurai in ancient Japan. "Not again," Luke smirked bringing his wrist down. His animated self managed to land a blow to Rori's animated head covering.

"Headshot!" Josh Vale yelled. He was the oldest of the Rossi cousins and son to Bella and Asher Vale. He consulted with his twin, Justin, on the matter. "That shouldn't be allowed, right?" he asked. The twins had been declared referees over all family room activities.

"It's a video game," Luke stated, looking away from the screen. He aimed a small, joking glare towards his cousins.

With one fell swoop, Rori smirked as Luke's animated character went flying off the platform. She held up her remote in front of her lips and blew the top as if it was a smoking pistol. To add further injury to Luke's battered pride, she winked.

Luke let out a groan and handed his remote off to his sister, Jessica. He fell lazily onto the couch where Henry was getting help on his Nintendo DS from Kaoru. "I give up. She's too good at Wii Resort."

"You should see her on Skyward Sword," Kaoru muttered, guiding Henry's hand that held the stylus. "Tap that one, Henry."

The small blond nodded and grinned as he watched his small screen explode in color.

Rori smiled as she handed off her remote to one of her newest college friends. "Natalie, the remote is all yours. I wish you the best luck. Jessica isn't an easy opponent."

Natalie Engles was a petite brunette with a pixie cut. She wore a knit skirt and the kind of holiday sweater that would look hideous on any other person in the room, but it somehow worked for the short college student. Her black sweater tights helped her glide over the wooden floor . She took the black Wii remote gingerly.

"I shore hope I do okay," Natalie giggled, bouncing happily. She had a light southern drawl that made everyone grin. Natalie had gotten accepted to Georgetown after becoming Valedictorian in her small Texas hometown.

Morgan and Reid walked into the room talking about the Christmas tradition. Reid was about to go into the lore of Santa Clause when Jack ran over. "Are you going to play with us?" he asked eyes wide as he tilted his head up.

Reid seemed to lose a bit of his color as Morgan pushed him forward. "You bet we are," Morgan laughed, knowing that Reid hadn't mastered the fine art of using a Wii remote. Like an inexperienced child, the genius was always swinging his arms around as he tried to get an attack in. "We'll go next." Morgan continued.

Reid turned to Rori, looking for a little bit of help. Surely she had something less embarrassing that he could do.

"Dr. Reid was actually going to teach me some simple magic tricks to keep my hands busy while in class," Rori spoke quickly. She did a quick jazz hands bit as she spoke. "I always seem to be conducting while I listen, and I was hoping for something else to do."

Luke turned around on the couch to look at the genius. "Magic?" he asked excitedly. "I want to learn."

Reid sputtered quickly. This wasn't what he had planned. He wanted quiet, not an audience. "Rori is my apprentice, only she can learn." He explained. He started to wring his hands nervously.

"Can Luke join us, please?" Rori asked. She didn't want to leave out anyone, even if the idea only came up to save Spencer from embarrassment. She wasn't sure what to do, and Luke and Rori weren't always on the most common of grounds.

Kyle raised his hand from his spot on the ground next to Kono. He had his arms wrapped around her waist. . "How about we turn off the video games and Dr. Reid does a small bit of magic to entertain us."

Morgan grinned. This had turned out much better than he had thought it would be. The room was full of intelligent college students, a couple post-graduates, and two kids under the age of ten. Magic tricks always seemed to wow the kids, but he wondered what the adults would think.

"Oh, I just love magic," Natalie exclaimed. She sat next to Luke on the couch and gave him a big smile as she waved. She glanced over at Dr. Reid. "Can we see some, please?"

Justine stood up from his fold out chair. "I'm getting mom. She loves sleight of hand."

Rori looked at Reid's helpless face. He started back pitifully and she mouthed an apology. She didn't actually think magic would be a huge crowd pleaser. She covered a smirk when Rossi's poker group came out to see what was going on. The momentary stoppage in yells of triumph led Dave to believe that something was wrong, and the relief he felt to see that he was wrong, brought him to a simple peace. Rori watched as everyone started laughing. Spencer was bound to steal the night. So long as he didn't mess up a trick or two.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Another Chapter another week gone by. I'm terribly sorry it took me this long. School started at the beginning of the month and I'm afraid that I've been trying to keep up with the homework and other things such as work. It's just a process to get back into the swing of things. I'm finally back to a point where I understand American Sign Language again. History is… Well its history. Old stuff, you know. Social Psych is fascinating, but it's a little long. . . English is a lot of reading. So much reading.

Now I've bored you enough.

**Quick Note: The nomination process for the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are going on until the fifteenth of October. This is an awards show to honor your favorite Criminal Minds fanfics and the authors who write them. You can find the nomination ballot on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum here on the site. Check it out! Show your favorite stories some love by nominating them for one of the 50 awards available.**

Don't forget to leave me a review. I hope you enjoyed it.

Ren


	4. Chapter 4

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Four:

December 25, 2011

Come Christmas morning, the Rossi mansion was about as full as it could get. Spare bedrooms were at max capacity, the office had been turned into another room. The house had never once been occupied to the extent that it was at that very moment, and Dave just wanted some time alone. He wanted his home back.

As he quietly made his way towards Rori's bedroom, he kept his large wrapped gift held up just above the floor in one hand and another gift in the other hand. They weren't the most grand of gifts, but he knew they would hold a bit of sentimental value.

Pushing the door to Rori's bedroom open, he crept in, careful not to wake Rori up. He placed the two gifts against the wall. Hearing a groan behind him, Dave peeked over his shoulder to see Rori turning over on her side. He smiled to himself, happy to see that she was blinking and obviously awake. "Sorry I woke you."

Rori buried her face in her pillow. "Don't be," she muttered. "I had this really ominous dream." She lifted her head up, and reached for her glasses. She sat up as she pushed the purple rims up to the bridge of her nose. She looked ahead towards the small bit of light that peeked through the blinds on her window. "I was looking for someone, and every time I thought I had succeeded, they disappeared. Poof!" Rori looked to her dad for an answer. "What do you think it means?"

"It's probably the same reason I dream about a rabbit riding a seahorse," Dave answered, walking over to the edge of Rori's bed. He sat down and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Rori."

Rori giggled at the mental image her father had put in her head. "Merry Christmas, Dad," she said. She pulled her phone off her nightstand and checked for any notifications. She dropped her phone in front of her before looking at the two sleeping dogs that took up the other half of the bed.

"Can you go get Kyle for me?" Dave asked. "I have something for the two of you, but I didn't want to give them in front of the rest of the family."

Rori looked over at the wrapped gifts before nodding. Slipping out from under the covers, she quickly disappeared out into the hallway.

Rori came back a few minutes later, quietly coaxing a grumbling Kyle into her room. Dragging her brother to the bed, Rori grinned excitedly.

Dave watched as he waited for both college students to sit on the bed before moving back to the wall. He brought over the two gifts and held the green one out to Kyle and the red one to Rori. "I thought that these could be put in your own homes when you get one. I know that you won't stay here forever, and it's never too early to have things you'll bring with you."

"Gifts for the future," Rori whispered taking the gift tenderly. "Cool!" Tearing at the paper, she grinned when she saw a frame. She looked up at her dad wide-eyed when she saw what the frame was around.

It was a photoshopped summation of her life in the form of a collage. Photos of Rori as a small child, preteen, teen, and now college student had been put together in sepia tones. She looked to Kyle to see that he also had a collage of photos as a gift.

Dave pointed to Rori's collage. "I had to call your Aunt Kate and Giles for your photos, Rori," he said. He turned to Kyle. "I hope you don't mind me looking through your things in the attic. I needed photos to get Kenta to make both of these.

"Kenta made these?" Rori asked in surprise. She knew of course that her boyfriend was a Photoshop wizard, but she had been unaware that her dad knew about it.

Kyle swallowed as he spotted a photo of his parents hugging a little boy close, and another of a pregnant Christine Morre, a photo he had only seen once when Giles showed it to him. He looked up at Dave. "Thank you," he said.

"There are some photos of Rori and I in there," Dave said, pointing out a couple. "But I know what a lot of your life was with the parents who raised you. I asked Kenta to try and get as much in without making it look too chaotic."

"It's perfect," Kyle stated. He didn't normally get emotional over gifts, but he could see the thought that went into the project. "I'm going to have to thank Kenta, too."

Rori lifted hers up a little higher to study all the photos. All of her happy memories had been jammed together in one art piece. She studied some of the photos that had her mom in them, but she couldn't just focus on one photo. There were so many to look at, and every time she thought that she had seen them all, another seemed to pop up out of the blue.

Placing the framed artwork gently against her nightstand, Rori stood up. Within a millisecond, she had pounced on her father, hugging him tightly. "This is the greatest, Dad. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Dave smiled as he wrapped his arms around Rori. He had hoped that this would be the response he would get: Stunned appreciation. He wasn't one to be competitive, but he was fairly certain that these gifts had earned the top gift for the season.

Kyle continued to stare at the collage as his mind jumped from one complex emotion to the next. He looked at Dave and gave him a nod to acknowledge the deep appreciation for the gift.

Dave took a deep breath and smiled at the two college student. "I suggest you get ready before everyone wakes up. The bathrooms won't stay open long."

Rori grinned, looking to the closed door next to her walk-in closet. "I'll just use my bathroom. Like I always do." She had gone through this before when her grandparents had come to visit a few times.

Kyle groaned. The past two days he had been the last one in the bathroom all the time. He never had hot water, the towel racks were full, and there was always the lingering scent of something floral, which he suspected came from Dave's sister Bella. "Can I borrow your bathroom?" he asked. "Your cousins always bombard the guest bath like a well-organized line of lemmings."

Rori giggled again and nodded as her face took on a more serious demeanor. "Your body spray doesn't step one foot in my bathroom. Do you understand?" she asked darkly. She couldn't stand to have her nose assaulted by male body spray in her own bathroom. "I think your body wash is enough."

Kyle nodded appreciatively. He grabbed his collage and darted out of the room to grab a towel and his clothes. He wasn't about to waste time when Rori had just granted him access to the promise land of family free bathroom space.

Rori crawled back under her covers to keep warm, leaving Dave to show himself out. Rori turned over to hug Zen as the dog turned over on its back. "Good dog," she muttered.

0o0o0o0

"Uncle Dave," Justin called across the family room. He held a box slightly above his head. He had to keep blowing his shaggy bangs out of his eyes as he bobbed from one foot to the next. "I didn't a chance to tell you how chill your team is. They were great at the party."

The family room was filled with the entire Rossi family with most people either standing or sitting on the floor as they opened gifts, praised Mama Rossi's breakfast, and socialized.

Dave smiled from his recliner. "They're a group of amazing profilers and even greater friends." Dave answered handing Jessica a wrapped cube.

"Especially that Reid dude," Michael laughed, tearing at a bow atop a gold wrapped box. "He's quite the illusionist. I kept trying to figure out how he did that trick with the pen and paper." He kissed his mother, Amy, on the cheek when he saw a brand new drawing tablet for his art animation. "This is perfect, Mom."

"And you won't ever learn," Rori stated, dropping to the ground quickly as she sat next to Luke who was admiring a boxed set of the _Game of Thrones _series. "Dr. Reid guards his secrets well, and very few are privy to him. I've known him a little over a year now and all I can do is make a quarter disappear."

Kyle leaned forward from his spot in front of the lit fireplace so that he could whisper in Rori's ear. "This family is kind of nuts," he said, hiding a laugh. "I haven't had this much fun for a long time, and certainly not with a family this big."

Rori turned and grinned. She reached back to squeeze Kyle's hand. "Can you take me to meet them sometime? Your parents? We talk about him all the time, but you've never taken me to their grave."

Kyle paused for a moment before nodded with a serene smile. "Yeah, we can do that, then we'll go see Christine," he answered. He was actually please with the idea of taking Rori to his parent's gravesite. He had been meaning to take some flowers, but he hadn't gotten around to it.

"Merry Christmas, Kyle Bishop," Rori said. She handed Kyle a long circular tube. She had gotten him a _Thor _movie poster. She had to search various sources over the internet, but she ended up with a mint copy for Kyle's room. Comic books were a thing with him, and the movies always seemed to make him happy.

"Merry Christmas Rori Morre-Rossi," Kyle nodded, handing over his own gift. He had decided on giving her an old book he had found for sale at Giles. Rori's collection of old Agatha Christie editions was small, but he knew she would appreciate the latest addition.

Unnoticed to the siblings, Dave had seen the entire conversation. He smiled to himself as he thought about how far the sibling had come from last spring. It reminded him of the close relationship he had with his own siblings, and to see it reflected in Kyle and Rori made the senior agent feel like his life had come full circle.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: So it's by no means a long chapter. No more Christmas time after this. It's time to jump into the next semester and see what adventure Rori and the gang can find. I guess I just have to decide when to initiate all that fun stuff. And think about it. We have Rori and Kyle's birthday at the end of February (because, you know they share a birthday by some sort of freaky chance).

**Quick Note: The nomination process for the Third Annual Profiler's Choice Awards are going on until the fifteenth of October. This is an awards show to honor your favorite Criminal Minds fanfics and the authors who write them. You can find the nomination ballot on the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum here on the site. Check it out! Show your favorite stories some love by nominating them for one of the 50 awards available.**

Don't forget to leave me a review! Catch ya' on the flip side my homies.

Ren


	5. Chapter 5

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Five:

January 18, 2012

Georgetown was alive with activity come the start of a new semester. Students ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, rushing to class, back to their dorms, and for a few, work. It was a chilly January day and people had bundled up to brave the cold.

Rori stayed in step with Natalie as they discussed their newest set of classes. Rori was in heavy jeans, a wool coat, and knee high boots. Natalie wore a wool sweater, wool ankle length skirt, and Ugg boot combo. Even with the heavy clothes, the two college students kept their arms crossed and scarves around their necks.

"I can't believe you'll be taking Forensic Linguistics with Alex Blake," Natalie sighed, adjusting her scarf a little bit. "Don't you get enough of that crazy cop stuff with your dad?"

Rori smiled. "I wanted to take something a little different than before I plunge head first into my required major coursework next fall," she explained. "Professor Blake also has an awesome resume, and I'm surprised I got into the class. Sometimes you can't get in unless it directly contributes to your major."

Natalie clapped her gloved hands together to get some more warmth into them. "All right," she said lightly. "Just don't come complaining to me when you have too much homework." She smirked as she glanced at her friend.

"That's why I'm taking American Sign Language, too," Rori said with a smile. She cracked her knuckles as a way to keep her fingers busy. "Learning a new language has always been how I relax. There's something about thinking about something else. Languages are useful."

"You could be your own mini United Nations if you tried hard enough?" Natalie grumbled before blowing out a breath. She giggled at the fog her breath had created.

Rori looked up at some of the bare trees in thought. "It might be a little difficult," she mused. "ASL is a French structure, but there's a lack of sound. My brain may excel with languages, but I believe that's because sounds are easy for me. The subtle nuances of a language, and the way you form words is all very simple for me. Like music. But with ASL, that's missing. It's a missing language, not a vocal one like the other's I've taken."

Natalie blinked a couple time before smiling. "Say it isn't so! The great Rori Morre-Rossi, child prodigy, doubts herself." Natalie leaned in close as she pulled Rori to a stop. Her face lit up in amusement. "She does! She doubts herself! So she is human!"

Rori burst out laughing when she pulled away from Natalie. She clutched her stomach, massaging a small part that throbbed slightly from laughter. She quickly tried to get laughter under control. "I don't doubt myself," she offered. "I just think I need to work a little harder is all, and that's good! I love a challenge."

Natalie tossed her head back with a short laugh before she blew out a sigh. "So am I spending the night at your place this weekend?" Natalie asked. She adjusted her backpack as they started moving again. She glanced at Rori hopefully as she bit at her lip.

"My dad said it was okay," Rori nodded. The two had plans to study together and have a girl's night in with Kaoru's girlfriend, Alice. "I think I'm going to make Lemon Chicken Rice Soup. Kyle will join us unfortunately. He shares a class with Alice and he kind of lives with me." Rori rolled her eyes and smirked.

Natalie waved it off. "I don't really mind company, you know. My roommate is kind of a stand-offish, and we don't talk." She looked at the ground as she bit her lip slightly.

Rori wrapped an arm around Natalie and gave her a sideways hug. She had been spending more and more time with Natalie when the Texan started talking about how lonely she was on campus. Natalie wasn't exactly a creature of social habits. She had to keep her grades up in order to keep her scholarship. Her friendship with Rori had always worked because the two of them could work on classwork and talk about their lives before Washington D.C. "You can stay with me whenever you want. My dad doesn't care as long as I prove that there's some sort of social endeavor. Plus, we have a few rooms that are always open. I mean I had to petition the school to let me live at home away from the dorms. Given the fact that was trying to kindle a relationship with my dad, it wasn't too hard."

"The dorms are all right, actually," Natalie shrugged. "I guess I just ended up with a bad roommate, and I'm far from home, so it's lonely."

0o0o0o0

January 20, 2012

Dave stepped into his house and was greeted by the fresh smell of lemon and chicken. He dropped his go bag by the door and moved to the family room.

Davis, Jared, Kyle, Kenta, Alice, Natalie and Rori were all sitting on the floor where there was enough room for all of them to spread out their course work. The group had formed a large circle, and Dave had to wonder if he would be able to traverse the room without first tripping over a massive textbook, backpack, or in some cases, a human. The TV was on, providing the college students with some background noise to work with, and the coffee table was littered with bowls and snack wrappers.

"How's the studying going?" Dave asked warily. As much as he didn't want to interrupt the chaotic study session, he also felt the need to check in on the status of his house. Like, how long would his family room be like this.

Rori looked up from her sign language text, her hands paused mid-sign. She looked around briefly to notice her counterparts barely acknowledge the presence of the home's owner. She gave a small smile before lifting herself up. She twisted and twirled her way through the maze of friends and study material so that she could hug her father tightly. She pointed towards the kitchen. "I have soup in the kitchen, if you would like to help yourself."

"I love when you cook," Dave said, kissing Rori on the forehead. He looked towards the corner of the room to see his own dog, Mudgie, looking at him, wagging his chocolate brown tail. Rori's dogs were behind Mudgie, wrestling with a tug rope.

"Are we having some sort of massive sleepover?" Dave asked casually, making his way around the couch to avoid the study circle. Rori followed closely.

"Yes," Rori answered slowly, watching her father's face to make sure he was okay with the idea of seven people sleeping in his home. After Christmas though, she was willing to bet seven college students was better than the entire Rossi family. "Davis, Jared, and Kyle are all working on some senior year coursework dependent on their major… I keep forgetting what. Alice is putting together all of the work she needs to complete for another gallery showing, this time at the school. "

Dave blew out a sigh. "The semester just started," he said shaking his head in wonder. "What about the Georgetown crowd?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm done with my Dickens paper while Natalie is finishing hers before she moves onto her Psych notes. Kenta… Well, I'm not sure what he's doing because I'm not a codes type of person, but I believe he's making a backdoor key into his mother's password protected blog." She shrugged slightly before grinning at the shocked look on Dave's face. "That's a joke, Dad. He's replicating a software system code."

Dave blew out a sigh of relief. He bit the inside of his cheek before he contemplated his next line of questioning. This could go one of two ways. He was hoping for the better one. "How was your class with Blake?" Dave asked.

Rori blinked a couple time before answering. "Let me answer that with another question," she said. She leaned against the counter and used her elbows to keep herself held up. "Do you know how the phrase 'rule of thumb' came about?"

Dave smiled. This was taking a much more different route than he expected. "Yes, I do," he answered, happy to know something when it came to Rori's education. He paused by the crockpot and looked back at his daughter. "Old English law stated that you could beat your wife so long as the stick used to beat her didn't exceed the width of your thumb."

"Kind of grim, given its common place usage in everyday society, isn't it?" Rori answered. She looked at the ground with a twinkle in her eyes. "Her class is fascinating. Stunning, actually. I'm learning so much about how region, background, and race can affect how we speak, how we write. I'd say it's one of the more interesting classes I've taken. And it's only been a couple weeks!"

Dave grabbed an empty bowl that had been left out for him. For over a year, he had been listening to Rori talk about her classes. Sometimes he knew about a particular part of psychology, or a certain fact about History, but essentially he was vicariously learning through his daughter, and now, Kyle. They both approached their classes with an enthusiasm that amazed him. They were in college for the sake of learning, and not to get a better job.

Rori waited patiently while her father filled his bowl to the brim. Dave looked at her with gentle eyes. "I'll admit, I was a little worried about you taking this class," he admitted, opening a cupboard to grab a plate to place his bowl on. "I can actually say that Blake and I are somewhat friends, but her view of the FBI can be a bit jaded."

Rori rolled her eyes. "Funny thing to say for a woman whose entire career was established at the FBI from the minute she entered the academy," Rori muttered. She had done her research. She stood up all the way and crossed her arms. "What happened ten years ago? I know that she left the FBI briefly and has, since her return to the FBI, worked mainly in the District, almost at a secretive level. There's not much news about her that isn't related to the University."

Dave had to suppress the urge to snort. Of course Rori had discovered a little bit of the whole debacle that was the Amerithrax case. "She works at the Hoover building if she absolutely needs to go in, but her office at the University does just fine most of the time. I think she's more at home in the academic setting," Dave explained. He smiled at Rori as he grabbed a spoon. "If you really want to know what happened, you should ask her. Tell her your name and I'm sure she'll open up a little bit. As I said, we're sort of friends."

"Yeah, because the Rossi name opens doors. You do know it's the most common Italian surname in the world, right?" Rori asked skeptically. "If you two are chums, then you know she went to Cal."

"Yes," Dave nodded. "And she continues to donate her time to a few guest lectures there, too. Where's this going?" he narrowed his eyes as he watched Rori.

"I was thinking about going to Cal for graduate school," Rori answered with a shrug. "I actually would have gone there if I hadn't moved across the country before my junior year of high school."

"Can't we just focus on getting your B.A first," Dave said. He carried his bowl over to the breakfast nook. He sat down before immediately digging into the warm soup. It wasn't hot or lukewarm, it was just right.

Rori stood warily by the stove, watching him eat. "Do you want to be left alone? I could go back to studying," she said pointing towards the family room.

Dave shook his head, patting the seat beside him. "I missed you guys this time," he said. And he had. Being in California, being in San Francisco where Rori grew up has caused him to think a lot about her, and Kyle. After all, they had run into a little problem in San Francisco only a few months ago.

Rori eagerly ran to the booth and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "So… no Zodiac Killer?" she asked, sliding her gaze up to glance at her dad's profile.

Dave nodded. "No Zodiac Killer," he repeated. "Just some messed up psychopathic genius looking for attention from his soul mate," he answered solemnly.

Rori sat up. "Shame," she muttered jokingly, trying to keep the conversation light. "I was really hoping I could get bragging rights. 'Hey look, my dad solved the most famous unsolved serial murders in US History!'"

Dave chuckled. Rori could joke about anything; this was something he had come to notice after a few grim experiences. It was a coping mechanism "No, but my resume is full of successes. A military background, I was one of the agents who launched the BAU, I have a stepson who's on the fast track to graduating with high honors from a private university, and I have a daughter who always manages to make me feel like the luckiest father in the world."

Rori smiled sheepishly as she looked at the table. She looked back up with a full grin. "You're amazing, Dad," she said happily.

Dave pulled Rori close to give her a tight hug. "Only because I have people like you and Kyle in my life."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Hey guys! I've kind of been sitting on this chapter for a bit. Not sure why, but I just haven't been able to sit down and type until now. I just wanted some light fluffiness for right now. It's time for midterms.

**As many of you know, the nomination period for the Profiler's Choice Awards ended on the fifteenth of this month, but have no fear! The final ballot is up and I'm happy to announce that The Fool's Card (yes, this very story) has managed to snag two nominations in the final ballot. The two categories that The Fool's Card will be featured in are "Best Overall Fic" and "Best Characterization of David Rossi". I was completely shocked to receive the nominations, but I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you to all who nominated me, and I hope you continue to enjoy this adventure as it unfolds one chapter at a time. **

Don't forget to review, and I shall see you next chapter.

Ren


	6. Chapter 6

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Six:

February 2, 2012

"David Rossi," Garcia started with an air of haughtiness. She was on a mission and she wasn't to be deterred. "I require your services for an urgent matter." She had chosen green as her color of the day. Green hounds tooth patterned dress, large forest green glasses, green pumps, and a green headband completed a well-rounded and very _green_ outfit.

Dave looked up from his copy of the Georgetown Press in front of him. All he wanted was a peaceful afternoon with his coffee and his daughter's college newspaper. "I thought St. Patrick's Day was next month," he muttered quietly, but Garcia had still heard him.

"Oh ha-ha," Garcia deadpanned. She planted herself in one of the chairs in front of Rossi's desk. "This is serious. Now, what have you decided to do for Kyle and Rori's birthday?"

"That's a month away," Dave answered with a sigh. He looked at his desk calendar to check his mental math. "Twenty-six days to be exact." He slid his gaze back up to see Garcia pouting stubbornly. Obviously jokes and semantics weren't going to win the techie's heart. He leaned back in his desk chair (one he had paid good money on to ensure maximum comfort), and he scratched his chin. "I take it you have something in mind," he said raising an eyebrow. Parties weren't really something he could claim to be a master at. That was more Garcia's area, so he always left her in charge. It wasn't healthy for his credit card bill, but they were something to be remembered.

"Well, last year Rori almost died, so we have to do something grand, something so completely over the top and awesome that she'll forget nearly drowning in the Baltimore harbor," Garcia explained, waving her hands around to make the point clear. As if it wasn't already clear how important this was to her.

"Spending extra hours at the drama company, I see," Rossi quipped. He leaned forward in his seat so that he could rest his elbows on his desk. "Penelope," he started carefully, making sure he had the blond's complete attention. "I'm sure that anything we do for Rori and Kyle's birthday will be perfect."

"You don't understand, Rossi," Garcia said with a huff. "Rori and Kyle have the same birthday. They are special kids, near and dear to my heart, and I just know that this bash is going to be a serious problem if we don't divide the time equally between the two." She bit her lip as she looked around. "I just can't figure out how we're going to do this."

"Dinner parties work wonders for things like this," Dave said. How many times had he grown up sharing a celebration with one of his siblings because the dates were too close together to warrant spending money on two different parties? "Listen, if you can find a place that both Rori and Kyle will like, then the rest of it will come together. I'm sure of it."

Garcia narrowed her eyes as she studied Rossi. "Why aren't you worried about this? These are your kids," she said.

Dave only smiled before he replied. "I already have my gifts lined up. I'm not worried because I know my kids," Dave answered, never pausing to ponder the fact that he had included Kyle as one of "his kids". He knew Rori and Kyle, and he was proud to show it. If he couldn't pick out gifts for two college students, then he hadn't really tried to get to know them in the time that they had been in his life.

Garcia continued to pout as Agent Anderson came over to the office. The young agent knocked before stepping in all the way. "Agent Rossi, do you have a minute?" he asked warily, eyeing Garcia.

Garcia stood up and pointed a stiff finger at Rossi. "We're not done here," she said marching past Anderson.

Anderson looked over his shoulder as Garcia walked away. "What was that about?" he asked, pointing towards the marching techie.

"Birthday preparations," Dave grunted. He took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. "What do you need, Anderson?"

Anderson held out a folder for Rossi. "An agent reviewing some applications for the academy gave me this," Anderson explained with a smile. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone what?" Dave asked taking the folder he looked at the front to see that it looked like any other case file. He flipped it open to see an application. The name at the top was highlighted in yellow: Kyle Bishop.

"That Kyle was applying for the academy," Anderson answered. He crossed his arms as he smiled. "His application was at the top of the pile for consideration when Agent Coulson recognized the name as your step-son."

Dave shook his head as he looked through the application. "I didn't know," he answered. He looked up. "I had never been told about this." He pulled his phone out to see if there was any sort of notification. Not that there would be. Application deadlines had ended a month ago. His phone was blank. No phone calls, texts, or notifications of the sort.

"Well, now you know," Anderson said. "The team looking over the application wants to accept the application for admission after he graduates from GWU."

"I'm sure whatever the overseers accept will be in the best interests of the Bureau," Dave said with a sigh. He wanted to keep his answer as neutral as possible, knowing that a reply either way might, change opinions.

Anderson nodded with a small smile before leaving the office.

Dave took one last look at the application before he turned back to his paperwork. He promised himself that he would ask Kyle about it when he got home. He was almost willing to bet that Rori knew about the application but had abstained from mentioning it. This wasn't Rori's news. It was Kyle's.

0o0o0o0

Dave knocked on Kyle's open bedroom door as he peered inside. The college student was sitting at his desk typing quickly when Kyle nodded to acknowledge Dave; the latter stepped into the room. "How's the studying going?"

Kyle didn't look up for a minutes as he finished up a paragraph. He smiled as he turned in his chair to look at Dave. "Just finished, actually," he said. "What's up?"

"Anderson brought me something today," Dave began, not wanting to jump into it. "Why didn't you tell anyone that you were applying to the academy?"

Kyle blew out a sigh as he leaned back in his seat. "I just thought I would tell you after I was sure the review process was over," he said. He stretched slightly in his seat. After stifling a yawn he sat back up. "I know you wouldn't directly try to encourage my acceptance, but I figured that if you knew, you would talk about it, indirectly influencing the result."

Dave nodded, knowing all too well that sometimes it wasn't what you knew, but rather who you knew. Kyle wanted to get in on merit, not because he was the step-son to the man who helped launched a new type of investigating. He was reminded of something Rori had said.

_Yeah, because the Rossi name opens doors_.

Rori had placed some sarcasm and skepticism, but _David Rossi_ would certainly garner some attention in a Law Enforcement field, especially at the federal level. "I can understand that," Dave said as he nodded. "Sometimes you want to do things on your own."

Kyle looked at the ground, biting his lip. "Did you learn anything though?" he asked hopefully.

Dave couldn't help but laugh slightly. Of course Kyle wanted to know something. "They were very impressed with your application. I tried not to say too much about you so that I didn't sway favor, but they now know that you're my step-son. I'm afraid I can't avoid that."

Kyle nodded. "Our little family seems to be getting a lot of attention lately," Kyle admitted. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "Well, I tried, and you did, too. That's what counts I suppose."

Dave crossed his arms. "I mean it, Kyle," he said seriously. "The committee that looks these over was very impressed. So was I. You're just the kind of person the FBI would want working for them."

Kyle smiled. "Good, because Rori spent six hours making sure my application was pristine. She's really good at that grammar stuff." He scratched his head as he looked around the messy room. "She lectured me for a half hour on fragments."

Dave nodded as he bit his bottom lip to suppress a deep chuckle. "That comes with the massive amount of writing she does. If she doesn't know the rules of grammar, I'm a flying monkey."

"Waiting to find out if I get accepted is going to be killer," Kyle laughed. He rubbed his chin as he thought about something. "Yeah, waiting has never really been my thing." He turned back to his computer so he could save the essay he was writing.

Dave hummed in agreement. Waiting for news about a potential career is nerve-racking. "I'm sure we'll find something to fill the time. If not, Rori will manage to make it less stressful." He stuffed his hands in pockets as he rocked back on his heels. This is was possibly one of the more meaningful conversations he had had with Kyle. He liked the feeling of having some one-on-one attention with Kyle.

Kyle smiled as he stood up. He checked the watch he wondered what time it was. "Thanks for trying not to sway the committee who looks at the apps. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Dad answered. He pointed his thumb back towards the hall. "I'm going to make some pasta tonight, pesto sauce with it. Is that okay?"

"Sounds perfect," Kyle said. "I'll let Rori know."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Midterm season is over, but I've got a few essays to complete. Luckily though, I find myself writing a little bit more than normal. I really wanted to focus on Kyle and Dave's relationship this chapter. I feel like it's nonexistent, and that I could give it a little bit more credence.

**As many of you know, the nomination period for the Profiler's Choice Awards ended on the fifteenth of this month, but have no fear! The final ballot is up and I'm happy to announce that The Fool's Card (yes, this very story) has managed to snag two nominations in the final ballot. The two categories that The Fool's Card will be featured in are "Best Overall Fic" and "Best Characterization of David Rossi". I was completely shocked to receive the nominations, but I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you to all who nominated me, and I hope you continue to enjoy this adventure as it unfolds one chapter at a time. **

Don't forget to review, and I shall see you next chapter.

Ren


	7. Chapter 7

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Six:

February 10, 2012

"Did you really say that?" Rori asked, almost shocked as she leaned over the breakfast table to study Spencer Reid's face. "To a security guard?" She sat back in the booth quickly in complete awe as she shook her head. "Dr. Reid, I had no clue you were capable of such bold action in the face of adversity."

Spencer smiled as he reached for his steaming mug of tea. He had come to the Rossi home so that he could talk to Rori about her Shakespeare course. Sadly, she had other ideas when she found out about the teams trip to Atlantic City and Reid's brief stint as an undercover agent in a poker club. "I did. I did order him not to manhandle me." Reid admitted with a modest smile as he nodded.

"And who manhandled you?" Dave asked, rolling up his sleeves as he strolled into his kitchen. "Morgan?"

Rori snorted as she was taking a sip of her coffee. Amidst her coughing, she gave out hisses of laugher. She looked at Reid's pale face and wide eyes. She had to smack her chest as she struggled to breathe again. She looked towards her dad. "Well that was unexpected," she said with another cough.

Dave narrowed his eyes as he gave Reid a smirk. "Consider it payback for your insinuating that I'm old."

"You're not old," Rori said slowly as if she was having trouble speaking the truth. "You're just seasoned."

"All I said was that you need to have some more experiences," Reid said defending his position. "I didn't call you old."

Dave gave both his daughter and the genius a challenging look. "If you're going to take fifty thousand dollars from me, you should watch what you say, Reid." He added the Spencer's name with the slightest hint of bitterness.

"You whipper-snapper," Rori blurted out before covering her mouth. Try as she might, she couldn't hide the spark of mischief in her eyes. She turned to see her dad cross his arms. "I'm sorry. It just came out," she said as she made herself a little smaller. She still had a smile on her face, but she clearly didn't like the look her father had given her.

Dave gave Rori a playful slap on the back of her head before shooing her into the corner of the booth so that he could sit down across from his teammate. He aimed a pointed gaze at Reid. "I'll have you know that I have plenty of experiences with this brat and her brother getting into trouble every week."

Rori's jaw dropped slightly as she stuttered to find a counter argument. Instead she turned to Reid. "So, what happened to Dad's money?" she asked raising an eyebrow curiously, not even making an attempt to hide the smirk that pulled at her lips.

Dave shifted so that he was facing Reid. He narrowed his eyes as Reid licked his lips nervously. The genius avoided direct eye contacts and kept clasping and unclasping his hands. All of this made Dave's stomach drop. "How much of my money did you lose?" he asked frightfully.

"Nothing!" Reid said quickly shaking his head. He moved in his seat as he looked to Rori for help. Sadly, she was enjoying the moment as she gave Reid a large grin that reminded him of the Cheshire Cat. She had thrown him to the wolf that was her father, and she didn't regret it. Probably because she didn't want Dave finding out about some mishap that had happened while he was gone.

"Reid," Rossi started slowly. He leaned forward, bracing an elbow on the table. "My money? Where is it? And how much did you lose?" Given the fact that they immediately ran after the UnSub, he hadn't really been focused on getting his money back from Reid. Now that he focused in on that loan, he worried even more. Reid had assured him that he wouldn't lose any money, and that he would still be able to pay for Rori's tuition at the end of the day.

Reid looked around the kitchen, carefully avoiding Rossi. "We were in Atlantic City," Reid started warily. "And the case was over. You had gone back to the hotel because you were tired."

"Oh this is going to be perfect," Rori muttered impishly as she moved to the edge of her seat to watch Reid.

"You gambled with my money?" Rossi asked loudly, his face turning slightly redder as he balled his fist.

"And turned a profit!" Reid said quickly. He sat up a little straighter as he looked for his wallet. He pulled it out with a shaking hand. "Emily went with me to some of the casinos and we came out on top." He smiled sheepishly as he pulled out a few checks. "There are some serious poker games that are hosted in back rooms. I was able to determine which tables held the best odds, and Emily is surprisingly good at finding tells in her own games." He held out the checks for Rossi to take.

Rori jumped forward and grabbed the checks. She flipped through them, mentally adding up the money. "Twenty-five grand on top is pretty good, Dad." She pulled a check away from the rest. "I mean look at this one, it's at least another semester for me at Georgetown, and the third one in should cover Kyle's tuition."

Dave blew out a sigh taking the checks. His money had been saved. "You are a man of wonder, Spencer Reid," he said quietly, refusing to acknowledge it any louder than necessary. He swiped the check Rori held from fingers and gently tapped the pile against the table as he looked at Reid. "Don't ever do that again. Unless I'm with you."

Reid swallowed as he nodded. "It's taxable," he said. "You should figure out how much the IRS will take from you."

Dave waved it off. He knew how gambling and taxes worked. "I have the losses to make up for it," he said. He looked to Rori and pointed a finger at her. "Don't gamble. It's a terrible habit and you'll be left broke in a cheap motel with two strippers and the MGM lion."

Rori and Spencer exchanged shocked glances before Rori burst into a fit of giggles. She rested her head on her father's shoulder as she hugged his arm tightly. "If it didn't know you were a writer, I'd want to know the story behind that," she said. She kept hold of her dad's arm as she focused on Reid once more. "Can you teach me how to count cards so I can be rich?"

"Don't you dare," Rossi growled aiming his best glare at Reid. He could gamble, but he wasn't about to let his daughter embark on such a terrible habit.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Happy Day! Another update just appeared in your inbox (maybe). I don't have a lot to say this week except this. Hxchick is a wonderful human being because of how much she's helped me lately. I'm such a whiney baby that I probably wouldn't have made it through the past month without her.

This chapter was prompted by the esteemed **nebula2** who asked me to write some sort of post-ep reaction to the season seven episode "Snake Eyes". She wanted Rori to be a part of the "peanut gallery", and we all know how well that turned out…

**As many of you know, the nomination period for the Profiler's Choice Awards ended on the fifteenth of this month, but have no fear! The final ballot is up and I'm happy to announce that The Fool's Card (yes, this very story) has managed to snag two nominations in the final ballot. The two categories that The Fool's Card will be featured in are "Best Overall Fic" and "Best Characterization of David Rossi". I was completely shocked to receive the nominations, but I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you to all who nominated me, and I hope you continue to enjoy this adventure as it unfolds one chapter at a time. **

Don't forget to review, and I shall see you next chapter.

Ren


	8. Chapter 8

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Dave moved around his kitchen, as he made sure everything was in order. He picked up his spatula and fished the freshly cooked pancake from his skillet. Quickly turning off the stove, he let out a slow sigh. Breakfast was complete.

Rori came walking into the kitchen with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She grinned when she saw the large stack of pancakes. "You made breakfast," she said as she placed her bag against the bench of the breakfast nook. She was in a simple plaid button up and dark blue jeans. She had decided to wear her hair in a long braid and her wrists were adorned with a rainbow of rubber bracelets.

"Happy Birthday!" Dave smiled. He grabbed the plate of pancakes and brought it over to the nook where he had already set out plates and silverware. He paused only momentarily to kiss Rori on the cheek. "What are you going to do today?" he asked, setting the plate of pancakes down.

Rori looked up at the ceiling as she thought about her plans for the day. "Class in the morning, ASL and Blake's class. After that, Kenta is taking me to lunch. After that, I have the afternoon to troll the crime reports before I meet you at Amici's," she lowered herself into the booth so she could eat.

"I guess you have a busy day," Dave said with a slight laugh. "Just make sure you're at Amici's by seven."

"Do I smell pancakes?" Kyle asked sleepily. He stepped into the kitchen with his hair a shaggy mess and his pajamas wrinkled.

Dave pointed to the booth where Rori was already picking out some of the best in the stack of pancakes. "Have at it. I can make more if I need to," he said easily. "Happy Birthday!" Dave put on his biggest smile and turned to clean up the rest of the kitchen.

"Thanks!" Kyle responded as he slid into the booth. As soon as he grabbed his fork he was pulling the steaming pancakes onto his plate, muttering thanks. He only paused momentarily when he saw a steaming mug of brewed coffee. "You are a wonderful man, David Rossi."

Rori groaned as she suppressed a smile. "Just what he needs, an even larger ego." Rori's body vibrated as she shook in contained laughter.

Dave gave the two college students a sarcastic bow and a wave of his hand as if he were an illusionist who had just finished the show off with a bang. He took his place at the booth next to Kyle. "So what are you plans for the day, Kyle?"

Kyle chewed contemplatively, pouring more syrup on his plate. "I have my two classes today, then I'm skyping with Kono. After that… studying at an obscure D.C. coffee shop and then Rori will pick me up so that we can have dinner with you." Kyle stabbed at his pancakes and gave Dave a smile. "These are super good. What's the secret?"

"Cook time," Dave answered quickly. "Don't forget to be at Amici's at seven."

Rori rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We get it, Dad. Dinner at seven, on the dot," Rori said dully. How many times had they been reminded of this now? All week, it was Amici's, seven o'clock. "If I didn't know you, I'd think we'd be walking into a party."

"Nope," Dave said, shaking his head firmly. "Just dinner with my kids on their birthday."

"How weird is it that we have the same birthday?" Kyle asked, directing his question to Rori.

"Kenta and Kaoru share a birthday with their cousin in Tokyo," Rori answered. It's interesting, but not uncommon. I know a family where all their birthdays fall on a day that ends in nine."

"Smart ass," Kyle muttered before biting into another pancake. His shoulders were hunched over his plate protectively as if he expected someone, likely Rori, to reach over and steal a hotcake. He looked down in an attempt to hide his smile, but he looked up suddenly as if struck with an idea. He looked at Dave with a quizzical eye. "You said _my kids_."

Dave blinked a couple times in confusion as he tried to figure out what it was that Kyle was talking about. "Well you are," he said when it all clicked into place. "I mean, I didn't raise either of you, but I can't deny the fact that I care and love both of you as if I had raised you, and I promised myself a while ago that I would do my best to be a parent that my daughter and stepson would be proud of."

Kyle was silent for a moment, causing the profiler to feel a little nervous. Did Kyle just see him as Rori's father and not his stepfather? "I'm not trying to replace your father-"

"I know," Kyle said with a smile, sitting up in his booth. "I just didn't know you considered me to be your son."

Dave nodded. How could he not see Kyle as a son? He was just the type of boy he always imagined having. Kyle was capable, smart, and caring, just like Christine. "I do. And I'm sorry your parents aren't around to see how great you're doing. I'm sure they would have been very proud of you." He smiled and gave Kyle's shoulder a gentle squeeze. More than anything, Dave had wished that Christine had been around to see both her kids as they grew into who they were as people.

Kyle smiled sadly. "They would have liked you," he said. He gestured to Rori. "Mom would have loved you especially. She had an interest in writing like you do. She also always talked about how she wanted a daughter if they had a second child."

Rori grinned as she looked at her dad. "I should probably go," she said taking a deep breath. "I'm supposed to meet Nat so we can exchange analysis' on _The Great Gatsby_ for peer edits," she explained as she took one last bite. She nodded to Kyle as she slid out of the booth. "Tell me more about your mom and dad tonight, kay?"

"You already know everything," Kyle said patting his bloated stomach as he leaned back in his seat.

Rori let a small tinkle of a laugh escape her lips as she smirked. "I'm sure that's not true," she said. She grabbed her backpack and gave her dad a peck on the cheek before she took her dishes to the sink.

As soon as Rori was out of their sight, Kyle blew out a sigh. "Why do I think her endless curiosity and sheer determination to know everything is going to get her into trouble again?" he asked looking at Dave. There was a kidding tone, but it seemed like there was also a sense of foreboding in his voice. Like he actually believed it to be a likely occurrence.

"That's why she has us," Dave said with a nod. He smiled at Kyle as he crossed his arms. "Happy birthday, Kyle."

"Thank you," Kyle said with a nod. "For everything."

0o0o0o0

"What has you looking puzzled?" Kyle asked Rori as she drummed her fingers against the wheel of her Mustang. She was biting her lower lip and glaring at the red light that kept her at a dead stop in the middle of D.C. traffic.

Rori kept her eyes aimed at the bright red light. She was hoping whatever Jedi mind prowess she had would change the light green. "Natalie didn't show up for our meeting today," she said bitterly. "And my crime blogs failed to acknowledge a gang rape at Virginia Tech. It's the little things that get you down, Kyle."

"Maybe Nat was sleeping in," Kyle guessed, shrugging half-heartedly. "As for the blogs, why don't you just write about it? Branch out a bit." He looked out his window as Rori started rolling forward with traffic. "But I take it that there's something else bothering you."

Rori took a quick turn into a parking garage as she shook her head. "My Spidey sense is tingling and I haven't a clue why. A gang rape at a university should be a big deal, and I'm worried."

"Why?" Kyle asked. This wasn't her school; this wasn't her town, so why was she troubling herself over it.

"Society and police have a tendency to blame the victim," Rori answered, pulling into a parking spot. She gave Kyle a serious look as she pushed the gearshift into park. "You're the criminal justice guy. What are the statistics on rape? Add in a party atmosphere like a university. What are the chances that this girl will be taken seriously? The media will paint her as a party girl even though she's a talented graphic artist and painter."

"Rori, I can only give you percents and numbers," Kyle answered quietly, trying to sooth his sister. "But I'm pretty sure you know how low those stats are."

Rori turned off the car and frowned for a moment. Kyle gave her shoulder a squeeze. He smiled at her and pulled her messenger bag from the floor. "Hey, it's our birthday. Smile, and tomorrow you can look into the case. I'll help you if you need it, too."

Rori smiled and nodded. "I'll call Nat after dinner and check in with her. Maybe she forgot about exchanging papers. And I'll see if I can't get in contact with the local police to see what they're doing about the gang rape."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan!" Kyle said as he pushed his door open. He stretched before pulling his jacked closed against the cold. He looked around the packed parking garage, hoping to spot Dave's car.

The two siblings walked side by side, their shoulders hunched forward as they were met with a bitter wind. Rori had to tuck her hair away to keep it from being blown every which way. Sometimes, the weather reminded Rori why she had loved California so much. Weather like this was near impossible.

Amici's boasted the best pizza in The District, and it was a family favorite for the Rossi house. Casual dining, good pizza, and friendly staff were what everyone looked forward to after a busy day at the Academy or a day of learning at their respective universities. What wasn't to like about flat bread east coast pizza made in a stone oven.

As Rori and Kyle walked in, Laura, their normal waitress, greeted them. "Happy Birthday you guys!" she said happily.

"Thanks, Laura," Rori answered, giving the waitress a hug. "How's little Henry?"

"Just started walking," Laura said as she beamed in pride. She waved at the college students to follow her. "Your dad just arrived a few minutes ago."

Kyle looked around and groaned. "There's a party in the back, right?" he asked Laura in dismay.

Laura put a finger to her lips. "I've been sworn to secrecy!" She gave Kyle a playful wink before skipping to the back party room. Kyle pulled out his wallet and handed Rori a twenty dollar bill. Rori took it triumphantly.

"Called it," Rori giggled. "And you thought it would just be the three of us. When the BAU is this close, never bet against their involvement." If the past year and a half had taught her anything it was that the BAU liked to be around fro everything that was of significance. Birthdays, awards, special recognition ceremonies, and likely some other life changing moments of life were just some of the few occasions where she fully expected the BAU family to be.

"Lesson learned, I guess," Kyle said as they walked through an arched doorway.

"Surprise!" A chorus of cheers echoed throughout the room.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. I've been in a mood lately and it's been really hard to work on this chapter because it needed to be just right. I wasn't able to do that while I was distracted, stressed and many other things. This chapter has sat in half-completion since November, and I finally got to finishing it last week. I do apologize for the wait, but I hope it was worth it.

Leave me a review if you get the chance.

Ren


	9. Chapter 9

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC grounds. If you would like to help me with bail money…

0o0o0o0

Chapter Nine: March 7, 2012

Rori secured her plaid scarf around her neck as she left New South, the southernmost dorm on campus where Natalie lied with her pill of a roommate. Rori was worried and with good reason. For the past week Natalie had been absent from all classes and all study sessions. Rori had thought Natalie was sick, but sixteen phone calls and a visit to Natalie's room had told Rori that something was wrong. Natalie's roommate had begrudgingly admitted that she hadn't seen Natalie all week and that she had assumed Natalie was staying with Rori. She then told Rori to get lost and tell Natalie, when Rori found her, that she quite liked living alone.

Rori pulled out her phone and dialed Garcia. Garcia would be the one person Rori could count on to help out when her father was out of town. Penelope would know exactly what to do after this.

"What's going on, Chickadee?" Garcia answered after the second ring.

"I need help with something," Rori said as she started making her way to the parking garage on the other side of campus.

"You aren't stranded on the side of a road are you? Because there are people for that. They're called triple A," Garcia said in her standard, joking fashion.

"No," Rori said with a nervous laugh. "I think Nat's missing, and I need to know how I would go reporting it." Rori paused as she took a moment to get her bearings. She knew she was headed in the right direction, but there was turn she had to take somewhere that would shorten her walk by about five minutes.

"Little Nat from Texas?" Garcia asked quietly, instantly in a more serious mood. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Rori took a deep breath, ready to recite the entire story. "Day before my birthday," she answered; swallowing back the sinking feeling that had suddenly popped up. "Her roommate hasn't seen her all week, not that she cares about Natalie or anything. Her roommate thought that she was with me." She shivered slightly and let out a breath.

"Okay, I'll start up some-" Garcia's voice was drowned out when Rori heard someone scream bloody murder. This was followed by shouts for help.

"Pen! Hold on!" Rori said as she ran towards the screams as they continued.

"Rori!" Garcia was shouting into the phone, but it was only a dull murmur now that the phone wasn't up against Rori's ear. Rori rounded a corner, stumbling slightly as she felt her ankle roll. _Damnit!_ Rori thought as she grimaced in pain.

A girl was crouched over a beaten and huddled figure. The shouting girl was someone Rori had seen around campus, but never really knew. She was pretty, with blond hair and hazel eyes, but Rori was more focused on the huddled mess on the ground. She recognized the short pixie cut and the green striped sweater. It was one she had bought as part of an outfit for a Christmas present.

"Natalie!" Rori yelled, sprinting over, ignoring the shooting pain in her ankle. She crouched down and hesitated as she debated whether to touch her friend. "Natalie, what- Are… Oh, Nat." she moaned helplessly as she pushed the edge of Natalie's bangs out of her face.

Natalie was barely conscious, her face bruised and cut. Her clothes were torn, dirty, and barely on the college student's petite frame. Rori shook her head, holding back tears as she put her phone back to her ear. "I have to hang up Penelope. Natalie is beat up pretty bad, and I need to call an ambulance," she explained. "Pen… Bye."

Rori hung up and immediately dialed 911, pleading for a quick pick up. She had no clue how extensive Natalie's injuries were. All she knew was that Georgetown was home to its own hospital and emergency room. "Hi!... Hello," Rori started, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "I'm at New South dormitories at Georgetown University just around the corner from the entrance. My friend has been attacked, and she needs help." She struggled to keep her tone even, and she tried to give as much information as possible.

"I'm sending an ambulance right now. Can I get your name?" the operator asked.

"It's Rori. How fast can an ambulance get here? She's in really bad condition," Rori said as she started moving to get Natalie flat on her back. First aide training was kicking in. She snapped at the second girl. "I need you to keep people away from here. We don't need people prying."

"Rori, I'm sending an ambulance to your location right now. Is there someone with you?"

"Another student, I've asked her to keep people away."

"Okay, good. I need you to stay on the line," the operator stated calmly. Rori was remarkably impressed because she was near hysterics.

"Are you going to put me on hold or something?" Rori asked. She sat down on the ground next to Natalie and looked down at her. "Hey, Nat. I'm going to take your hand, okay? I'm going to stay right here with you so that you're not alone."

"Rori, can you tell me what your friends name is?" the operator asked, Rori felt herself calm down ever so slightly as she listened to the calm operator's voice.

"It's Natalie," Rori said as she took Natalie's hand gently. She rubbed it with her thumb soothingly. "Nat, you're going to be okay." Rori felt herself grimace when Natalie let out a pitiful whimper. "We're getting you help."

"Is Natalie a close friend," the operator asked.

"She's an English major like me. We're taking all our English classes together, and she spends the weekend with me because she hates her dorm," Rori explained, glancing around. People were starting to show up. Rori groaned and leaned over Natalie to hide her from view.

"Okay. You're doing great. Just keep talking to her. She needs you to stay calm."

"Rori," Natalie moaned as she tried to open her eyes in the harsh sunlight.

"I'm here, Nat," Rori said. She smiled when she heard the sirens in the distance get louder. "Helps almost here."

0o0o0o0

Garcia entered the emergency room of Georgetown University Hospital. She was decked out in a Garcia class, a dress made of a comic book pattern and a bright yellow headband. She rushed over to the reception desk and slapped her FBI identification. "I'd like to see Natalie Engles, please. She came in with a friend named Rori Morre who is being treated for a rolled ankle."

The receptionist looked at the ID and pushed it back. "I'm not sure you can come in," she said skeptically.

"Listen, I was just one the phone with-"

The door to the ER opened and Rori waved at Garcia as she hobbled around on one foot. "The cops are already here. Come on."

Garcia grabbed her ID and hustled after Rori, knowing that she had to be quick.

"Wait!" the nurse shouted. "Patients can only have one visitor and you have to sign in." The nurse reached out to pull Garcia back, but Rori grabbed the hand instead as she pulled out a pen.

Rori lifted the nurse's hand up and started scribbling. "Penelope Garcia, FBI. As a patient, she is my one visitor. Carry on with your duties. Sorry." She was very gruff as she turned around and limped away.

Garcia wrapped an arm around Rori's waist and took on some of the weight of Rori's body. The only reason Garcia was there was because she was playing den mother while the team was away. Garcia gave her system up to a very flustered Kevin, and left, leaving only a trial of dust in her wake. Rori's screams, and the news of an attack on Natalie had Garcia moving as soon as Rori hung up. "How's Natalie?"

"They moved her to one of the private rooms just outside of the Emergency area. She was throwing a fit and scaring some of the other patients, and everyone thought a private room would be best," Rori said, wincing slightly. "She has some bad bruises and cuts, but the doctors treated that quickly. They're main concern is dehydration. She was nearing dangerous levels. The detectives arrived shortly, but they've been waiting to ask her questions as my request. She's extremely jumpy, and I just thought some alone time would be a good idea."

"Poor girl," Garcia muttered, adjusting her grip on Rori.

"Have you told my dad what happened?" Rori asked quietly.

Garcia shook her head. "I decided to wait. Though, as soon as Morgan calls my office and is answered by the oh so chipper Kevin, it won't be long until your dad is calling you." Garcia shrugged and smiled.

Rori turned a corner and waived to two suited detectives. One was a tall, buff looking man who was looking at his cell phone. The other, a thin blond who was tapping her foot impatiently. Rori stepped away from Garcia and started introducing everyone. "This is Penelope Garcia, my den-mother while my father is away. She's a tech analyst with the FBI's BAU," she started. "Pen, this is Detective Mike Bell, and Detective Katelyn Marks. They work special crimes."

Garcia nodded cordially as Rori ducked into a dark room. Garcia followed carefully, putting on a cheery smile for Natalie.

The only light in the room came from a small lamp. Natalie was in a hospital gown and propped up so that she was sitting up. Rori quickly moved to sit next to Natalie on the bed. Garcia chose the stiff looking couch that seemed oddly out of place in a hospital room.

"Hey, Nat," Rori whispered, smiling a little bit. "I know you don't really want to talk about what happened, but some detectives are here to check on you. They have some questions."

Natalie shook her head, withdrawing into herself as she crossed her arms tightly, gripping at her skin. "I don't want to talk. I just want to forget," she sobbed. Her arms and hands were covered in bandages and a few needles that were pumping liquid into her body.

Rori nodded in understanding. "I know, Nat. I know. They just want to help you. You can take your time, but you don't have to. I'm here though. You can hold my hand, and if you want to stop, you just have to tell them. They'll let you do this in your own time."

Garcia felt her heart ache. Natalie looked completely drained. She was beaten and broke, but she seemed to response to Rori's words. Rori held her hand out for Natalie as the detectives moved into the open door. Natalie nodded and took Rori's hand as Rori looked to Garcia. "Can you have Detective Marks come in? _Only _Detective Marks."

Garcia nodded in understanding as she pushed herself out of the couch. Natalie jumped at the movement, but Rori was quick to whisper soothing words. A female touch was needed for this.

0o0

Two hours later and Garcia was certain of a few things: one, Rori was not about to leave a vulnerable Natalie alone in a hospital, two, Natalie had been gang raped while held for a week, and three, Rori would make a great victim's advocate. The detectives had left ten minutes before and Rori and Garcia were standing off to the side, just outside the room. Rori was leaning against the wall as she rotated her wrapped up ankle. She would briefly glance back into the room to make sure that Natalie was still asleep in her bed. Garcia reached out and put a hand on Rori's shoulder. "You were really great with Natalie, Rori. You said all the right things."

"Well, I know what it's like," Rori answered, biting her lip. She winced as she tried to stand on her injured ankle. She was careful to avoid Garcia's gaze. "I don't like to talk about it, but I know what it's like."

Garcia's brow knitted together in confusion as she withdrew her hand. "What do you mean?"

"When Collin kidnapped me," Rori answered, swallowing hard. "I can't remember it, but the doctor's told me after the Collin debacle that I was sexually assaulted more than once in the past. I asked them not to tell my dad. I wanted to be the one that discussed it on my own terms. Stuff like that. I didn't know… and I, I didn't know what to do."

"Rori, why didn't you say something?" Garcia asked as she struggled between wanting to know more and wanting to give the girl a hug.

"Because, like Natalie, I wanted to forget it had ever happened," Rori admitted. "But I got help after I finally told Dad. We had a long talk about it one day in his office and we agreed that it would be best to keep it within the family, that I would decide when to tell someone. Still, not very many people know about it." Rori crossed her arms as if it was still hard to talk about. "I started school, talked to a counselor, and I figured out how to move on in my own way. It wasn't easy, but I did it."

Garcia pulled Rori into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Rori. I wish I could have been there," she whispered. "You can tell me anything."

Rori hugged Garcia back and smiled as she nodded. "I know," she said. She stepped away and shrugged. "You can't change the past, Pen. For four months I dealt with it, but I had help. I had a family who supported me. There was someone by my side constantly telling me that it wasn't my fault, and after a while it became easy again to go about my life without thinking about it." She looked into Natalie's room. "Now someone else is in need of that support and I'm going to give it to her. I have a few ideas on how I can make her more comfortable, and one of them is moving her out of the dorms and away from her roommate."

Garcia looked into the room with a smile. "Are you going to tell her about what happened to you?"

Rori nodded. "When she wakes up, I'll tell her. I just want her to know that she's not alone. It's a long journey. And it should start with some new clothes."

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Well that was kind of… grim. But I hope it has you interested in reading more. I've been waiting to do this chapter for too long. It's definitely on the darker side, but hey, you can't fight the muse. I remember leaving some things open for future answers, one of them being what really happened to Rori while she was in Scotland. The other reason I did this was because I wanted a plot line that would put Rori in a position to help someone while also discovering a little bit more about who she was. I didn't know that person would be Natalie until I wrote her into the Christmas party. She was supposed to be a faceless girl, who Rori found outside a college party, but then she grew a bit of a personality that begged for more face time, and since then I've had to change some of my ideas, but they seem to be working out.

Any who, leave me a review and let me know what you think.

Ren


	10. Chapter 10

Author: Ren Kayashima

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds; I do not plan to own Criminal Minds. Rori, Natalie, Kyle are mine.

Warning: Discussions of sexual assault. Any questions or concerns about the following plotline should be directed to my inbox.

0o0o0o0

Chapter Ten:

March 10, 2012

Dave stepped into his home and dropped his bag by the closet before marching into the living room, startling a studying Kyle. "What happened?" he asked, rounding the couch so that he could get a good look at Kyle. "Natalie was raped?"

Kyle put a finger to his lips. "Rori had her in the kitchen right now. Keep it down," he said. He gathered up the papers he had been looking at and put them on the coffee table. "They're cooking dinner right now."

"How did this happen?" Rossi asked. He sat down on the couch on scratched his cheek contemplatively. "Natalie is a good kid, she doesn't go to dangerous places."

"Kyle shook his head and gave a shrug. "She was walking back from the library to her dorm and was ambushed. I don't know the rest of the details, she won't talk to anyone about it."

Dave turned and stared blankly at his dark television, his profiler brain kicking into high gear. Psychopathology, statistics, vicitmology… Every single part of his brain was thinking about a case he knew mothering about. He had only just come back from his own case. He didn't have details. All Garcia had told him was that he needed to go straight home as soon as the case was over. He would have left sooner, but he had been working on a serious case. They seemed to be popping up everywhere and he didn't like it. He was away from home too much. He turned back to Kyle. "Do the police have anything? Any leads?"

Kyle bit his lip as his eyes darted towards the paperwork he had put on the coffee table. "They don't have a lot. A rape kit, a statement from Natalie…" an unspoken "but" hung in the air and Rossi raised an eyebrow in an effort to get more from Kyle.

"What?" Rossi prompted.

"It's probably nothing," Kyle said, adjusting himself on the couch. He grabbed the papers and began shuffling through them. "Rori picked up on it, but we can't contact the others to confirm anything." He pulled out a printed newspaper article and handed it to Dave with a grim look. "There are five more cases like that article all over the East Coast."

Dave took the article and grew pale at the headline. _Baltimore College Student Brutally Raped and Left in Dumpster_. He scanned the article, searching for more information. It was free of any gruesome details, thank God. Taking a deep breath, he fell back and rubbed some of the jetlag from his face. _Five more cases like this?_ He thought ominously. _A serial case?_

He paused slightly and blinked a couple times. He couldn't be jumping to conclusions like this. There were things to consider, modus operandi, victim type, geography, unknown details in the assaults. He had to look at all of them, all seven cases, before he could even consider classifying the attacks as one in a series. He could call Hotch and see if they could inquire. They would have to tread lightly. They can't just hump into an investigation, let alone seven.

But seven gang rapes all along the East Coast? That wasn't a thought that sat well with him.

"Hey, Dad," Rori's voice pulled Dave out of his thoughts.

Dave shifted to look at Rori smiling bleakly. She was dressed in pajama bottoms and a tank top. She jabbed a thumb behind her. "Dinner's ready. It's penne alfredo with prosciutto."

Dave felt himself smile for a glimmer of a moment. "Sounds great!" he said standing up. "How is Natalie?"

"Quiet," Rori answered somberly. Almost as if she was struck with an idea, she spoke. "I may have moved her into our home." She walked over and gave her father a tight hug, one that he happily welcomed.

"Has anybody called her parents?" Dave asked.

Rori nodded. "Nat told them not to come," she said. "They don't make a lot of money, hotels and airfare, even gas money, is a struggle to round up. But, she has an aunt driving in form Providence. She'll be here tomorrow."

"Good," Dave said. "Penelope said her roommate didn't report her missing?" he asked, almost in a state of incredulity. How could you not report someone missing after a week of seeing an empty bed?

"They don't like each other very much," Rori answered. She turned to make her way to the kitchen. "Nat can't go back there, Dad. I don't want her going back there."

Dave nodded in understanding. Natalie needed support, not some apathetic roommate that only served to remind her that she had hardly anyone to rely on in D.C. He had to scold himself. Rori cared and Rori had been aware of Natalie's absence. So there was someone. "She can stay as long as she likes," he said, mentally considering the possibility that his home would be overrun with college students before Rori graduated.

Dave entered the kitchen and found Natalie seated at the nook. She wore a baggy Georgetown hoodie and checkered pajama bottoms. She had a closed textbook in front of her, and she didn't make any moves to acknowledge that she was no longer alone in the kitchen. Dave moved to sit across from her and she finally looked up.

"Hello, Mr. Rossi," she greeted with a small whisper.

"Hi, Natalie. Thank you for making dinner," Dave said grabbing a napkin from under his fork.

"Rori was the one who made it," Natalie corrected. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"You're more than welcome to stay as long as you need to," Dave smiled. He glanced towards Rori who was dishing out dinner onto two plates that Kyle held. Rori smiled at him and ushered Kyle towards the nook as she picked up two plates herself.

0o0o0o0

Dave sat in his office looking over the five gang rapes. He looked up when he heard a soft know at his door. Rori stood there with Mudgie by her legs. She leaned against the doorjamb and crossed her arms. "The articles don't tell you every thing, of course."

"Do you mean to tell me you know more?" Dave asked dropping the articles on his desk.

Rori shook her head. "No. But I am somewhat adept at making connections, and I have a knack for research. Us college students are good for that kind of thing. Not just drinking and partying," Rori smiled sardonically. She turned slightly so that she could walk into the office and close the door. Mudgie followed close by before finding his dog bed and plopping down for a well-deserved nap. Once the door was closed, Rori dropped her joking manner and bit her lip. "I'm not an expert like you, but the connections I found, I didn't like."

"Have you told Garcia about these connections?" Dave asked, leaning back in his seat.

Rori shook her head, giving Dave the impression that she had been saving her thought for a small discussion with him first. She curled up in Dave's reading chair and looked at him. "I don't like what I found, but I needed to talk to you," she started. She held up one finger. "All seven victims were university sophomores, female." A second finger popped up. "All seven were kidnapping, a week long, and all were gang rapes," she popped her thumb out for her third point. "Prior to their abductions, all seven victims were highlighted in local paper for some sort of success or Honor. I wrote up Natalie's because she had a short story that won an award in the English department."

Dave picked up the articles again and started searching through them. He didn't see anything on Rori's last point. He glanced up questioningly. "I don't have copies of those."

"They're in my backpack," Rori answered. "Dad, it's traveling gang, I know it."

"How though?" he asked Rori. "I know that you're bright and that you make connections, but-"

"Dad!" Rori groaned. "I write crime columns! I follow crimes up and down the East Coast, and I like to focus on Universities. Do you honestly think I wouldn't know about these gang rapes? Seven rapes, Dad! One in Connecticut at UConn, another at Virginia Tech, Boston U, Baltimore, Chapel Hill, D.C., NYU. Call me a skeptic, but I don't like chance or coincidence. You know the statistics, Dad. This is an odd grouping and you know it!"

Rossi let out a sigh. He knew rough stats. Reid would know the exact numbers. "Rori, I can't look into this unless-"

"The BAU is invited in," Rori growled unpleasantly. "Your rules suck, and when did they ever stop you before? Can't you inquire? Ask the detectives on the cases, do something, Dad!" she was pleading with him, and it made Dave's heart wrench.

"Rori, it's not that simple and you know it!" Dave countered. "I know that you want justice for Natalie and I know that this is a sore spot for you given what you went through in-"

"This isn't about Scotland, Dad," Rori yelled, startling Mudgie. "There are monsters out there, raping college student. They beat them, hold them captive, they made Nat feel worthless, like she would never see her family; they made her feel-" Rori stopped suddenly and blinked away some tears that had sprung up. She wiped them away and stood up. "I'm going to bed," she said, rushing to the door.

Rossi stood up and braced his hands at the edge of his desk. "Rori, stop!" he ordered.

Rori paused for a moment and looked at the ground. "All you have to do is ask some questions," she said. She opened the office door and left, leaving Dave to his thoughts.

Dave swore in Italian and sat back down. Rori denied that her feelings towards these cases were connected to the horror she faced in Scotland, but he knew differently. Rori could deal with it until she was faced with it head on. A friend had just gone through something that Rori was all too familiar with and old wounds had opened back up. He thought that they had gotten through this a year ago, but maybe she had never healed. Maybe she had just kept it locked away.

Something told Dave that solving this case was going to be important for not only the victims, but for Rori. He mentally made a note to call Hotch the next morning to discuss the possibility of asking a few questions.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Hey Everyone!

I feel like I should give you all an explanation for my extended absence from this site. It's in no way an excuse. I don't like excuses, and I've been making them a lot lately. I'm not sorry for making you wait. I wish I was, but maybe once I explain this all to you you'll see why it took so long.

Certain things come first in my life, and my happiness is one of them. While writing makes me happy, week after week I found that I wasn't happy, and my writing was affected by it. I wasn't making a chapter that was of the quality or the caliber that I wanted it at, so I took a break. I read some really great books, I went on safari in northern California, and I hung out with my friends. It was a nice break.

Another thing that comes first is my schooling. I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but I've been in the middle of an extensive process to arrange a college transfer to the University of California system. I had to focus on deadlines, scholarship applications, and my grades. So school became a top priority.

The good news is that I got into UC Berkeley and with three weeks left in the semester, I've managed to secure my grades in all of my classes (barring some minor issues). School is almost out for the summer and I'll be free to do a lot of writing.

Also, for anyone who was following me on my Facebook, it's actually been deleted. If you were in contact with me over there, I'm going to ask that you message me here if you have any questions or concerns. Or you can look at my tumblr and send me messages there. I'm on that every day.

Bottom line: I'm back, and I'm sorry it took so long.

Ren


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